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RANDOM ASIA SERIES - Kyoto Loving

I can't believe I've forgotten to post stuff about my first travel for 2014. KYOTO, JAPAN! 

Thank you to my friends Yaniz and Rozy for pushing me to take leave from work! Sometimes, you just need to say NOW!

I spent 6 days in Kyoto early last February 2014- just at the tail end of winter. It was still pretty damn cold for the tropical girl in me! On the plus side though, it did give me a chance to #dressup for winter!

In a nutshell. KYOTO was amazing - so pretty and zen. Love love love. A lot of people asked me if I thought 6 days was too long. I say it was just nice. We saw of lot of things, took long walks in gardens, dressed up as Maikos  & ate good food! Lots of textures and patterns to inspire me. A great creative walk and better still, I did it with friends! 

Arashiyama station features a super installation by Yasumichi Morita

Photo credit: chicarosa

Coffee with my ladies at Cate Cattleya, Gion. Coffee made with sacred fresh water from the temple. Order the Viennese coffee. Yum

The spot that got us dreaming about Kyoto. Bamboo path, Arashiyama

Photo credit: chicarosa

Fushimi Inaari Taisha was super peaceful....

Photo credit: chicarosa

All I wanted was to dress up like a Maiko and it was so much fun doing it with my friends. We nearly messed up our faces as we tried NOT to laugh.

For throwback days! Ha ha.

 Real Geishas! Made my day.

Vintage corner store filled with lost and found treasure....

#dressup 

Photo credit: chicarosa

Rozy and I checking out the yellow moss around us. So pretty. Arashiyama.

Photo credit: @istayedwoke

Yaniz and I by the river in Arashiyama. It was a beautiful day for walking.

Photo credit: chicarosa

Had so much fun in Kyoto. Love Japan. Do try hash tag searching #randomasia on Instagram. You'll see more of our "travel show" there. A few photos were posted by other people but most of our pictures are still there! 3 ladies of different personalities, photo blogging together.

Much Love, Nini  

Photo credits Rozy Ghaffar, Yaniz Merican and me!

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In Bhutan, I learned that Thanka art used clay paints or a mixture of it. On my last day there (in Paro), friend/artist Rinchen Wangdi drove all the way from Thimphu to show me what it looked like and how it was made. So blessed! #artforlife

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Love Bhutan

I was pretty sad to leave Bhutan. It rained on the last day which was a nice change having been blessed with beautiful sunshine and clear skies. Despite the drizzle, Paro still looked amazing to me. 

I had such a great time by myself. So many people were surprised to find out I was there alone & asked who was the one taking my pictures?!! It was Sonam my trusty guide ofcourse! Hahahaha! I must thank him for looking after me and for treating me like a princess! (It was hard for me not to carry my own things).

Much love to the people I've met on this trip and who opened themselves up me! Bhutanese people are happy but not delirious. They seem content with their lives, maybe a little concerned about what to expect in the next few years or so with the economy being so fragile for them. I hope and  that the outside world will treat this "last Shangri La" with care.

It was truly refreshing to experience a place "untouched". If we, the modern world were to help, it would be to guide them to their Utopia. To help them with their initiatives to incorporate living/tourism & to preserve their identity amidst the advancement.

I loved my time in Bhutan and look forward to going there again and to explore the unexplored perhaps. They tell me I can create whatever type of holiday I envisioned for my Bhutan trip and its true. I had a trip like no other and I can safely day, many whom I shared my stories with on instragram felt the same way too.

So go to Bhutan. Do something different. Pack minimal. Bring your camera. Breathe in the Himalayan air. Drink fresh water. Eat crispy vegetables. Rejuvenate yourself. Find some peace. Then write to me and tell me that wasn't the best holiday you had in a long time.

Much love Proxima Travel for hosting me and really taking the time to customize my trip to skew it to the things I wanted to see and experience. I felt safe and well looked after. Hugs!

 And thank you for reading. I leave you with some pages from my notebook. Travel, see the world, get inspired, be at awe always......Love,Nini

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The great Tiger's Nest Adventure & Wishing Stones in Paro

Last day in Bhutan was absolutely PACKED with stuff. First up was a hike up to the Tiger’s Nest. Oooo what a feat it that was for me seeing how I don’t hike! But after this experience, I think I kinda diggit. I will hike at "beginner-intermediate" levels!

So let's start the blog! Below is the view (from the car) of the mountain I climbed to visit the Tiger’s Nest. If you can spot the white speck on the  mountain on the right....…..yaaaaa, that is it!

I crawled my way up to the halfway point where I met journalist Annette from Australia who was taking in the sights of the monastery. She shared her sunscreen and recommended a good spa to go to after the hike. Very useful information was given. LOL Nothing is random I tell you. In the picture below my finger is pointed towards the parking lot where I started. Eeeeeek.

After the halfway point, its about 700 steps to get to the monastery. Its quite cooling and there’s even a waterfall in between for you to sit and mull over the many prayer flags hanging all over the place. Pretty!

Occassionally I stopped to take photos of the trail….Loved the trees there. 

There’s a good viewpoint for you to take photos once you get up there. I can’t stress enough how beautiful it was to see the mountain views. It was unreal.

Met and old tree on the way up…..happy.

Hugged a pony too….more love. I couldn’t imagine using this pony to go up the mountain. I decided against it when my guide told me they walk really close to the edge and I’m not great with heights…..

On the way down, we stopped again at the halfway point for lunch which tasted YUM after all that hiking. Noodles and chilli cheeseeee. 

VIDEO TIME! 

Right after, my guide took me to visit one of the oldest temples in Bhutan called Kyerchu Temple. As I was walking in, two temple women called for me to come over and see them. They were curious about me and thought I was Bhutanese. They said they could pass off as my mothers! Awwwww. Love.

When in Bhutan you will see many Dzongs (temples). I nearly passed on this one (below) in Paro as I was quite over the Dzong scene, but Keanu Reeves was mentioned and I was there in a heartbeat! LOL. You must go. Its quite interesting to see the slight variations within each Dzong.

You can’t take a bad shot in Bhutan! Monks walk in an out naturally and when you capture them in their element….elegance….Below, I’m looking at the Paro river which I actually visited again afterwards.

Best thing I did that was outside of the itinerary which was to go to the riverside to lay out my wishing stones for those who I was thinking about from home. Sent them these pictures as gifts….I always like stuff this! 

After the river, we stopped over a small cafe to wait for my painter friend Rinchin Wangdi who was driving over from Thimphu with tradition Bhutanese clay paints to show me. At the cafe I sat with some ladies and enjoyed some coffee. We couldn’t speak but through my guide we were able to cover the fact that I was not Bhutanese, that they could be my mothers and that I did not look 36! Yay!

Rinchin kept to his promise and brought me a gang of stuff to show me what traditional Bhutanese paints were and how it was prepared. I’ve enjoyed getting to know this wonderful artist who is ever so passionate and generous with his art. Check out his many notebooks. Just like me, we keep several notebooks at one time!

I did a lot on my last day in Bhutan. Amazing experience once again. I hiked up a mountain, visited old temples and sat by the river, again. I can’t  say that everyday can I? I shall remember days like this and think myself so blessed.

I leave you with some Paro colors. Love it. Feel it.

Much love,

Nini

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Paro prancing

Do we like Paro. Yes we do!

The first day there I walked around randomly exploring various places. The township is smaller than Thimphu. everyone knows everyone else like everywhere in Bhutan actually! 

Above: This was my first post on intstagram. No traffic lights. Paro=cowboy town. Kinda. I tried butter tea that day. Its like drinking melted (pink) butter. It is said to be very good for chapped lips and I would imagine warms you up in winter time. Its an acquired taste that is for sure.

Above:  The Paro "highstreet" a need stretch of shops from General stores to Art Galleries. 

Above: Checked out a couple of art galleries and took note of the contemporary art styles being developed.

Above: Met actress, Tandin (she's like #1 in Bhutan). Acting is considered a "hobby" in Bhutan still so she still works regularly at her mother's gift store. I managed to get a couple of "head shots" in as I thought she was really pretty. And so do most people in Bhutan actually ;) (classic Bhutanese beauty).

Above: Tandin is a 20 something year old actress with dreams to produce movies on her own one day. Hoping she does so! 

Hugs,

Nini

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Punakha to Paro Valley, Bhutan

I had to pass through Thimphu to get to Paro Valley. Stopped by a few places on the way :)

First up, farmer's market in Thimphu. Fresh produce galore. I would be so healthy living in Bhutan.

Made a quick stop at their art store too hoping I could get my hands on some Bhutanese clay paints. No success there. Most things come from India however, just to let you know! Oh well, I liked the frontage of the shop anyway!

The beauty of travelling by myself is getting to do whatever I wanted. So if I felt I wanted to splash my face with some fresh water by the side of the road.....I could :) So cooling. Below is me drinking water just before we left Thimphu.

When we reached Paro, I requested to sit by the river for a bit....and that I did! Go try it. Have a picnic by the river. Its soooooo pretty.

By far one of my favourite moments in my Bhutan adventure. River dipping. Love.

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Thimphu to Paro Valley, Bhutan

After spending a couple of days in Thimphu, I headed out to Paro Valley to stay for the night.

Its takes about 3 hours by car (uphill and down). Paro being in the valley is a lot warmer (tropical) too so the slight change in temperature and in flora and fauna was interesting to see!

On the way there we, stopped to take a look at the 108 Stupas which is situated at the highest point of the mountain we were driving up (3500 abv sea level) and , built by one of the Bhutanese queens to celebrate the victory of Indian insurgents being flushed out by the Bhutanese people who were led by the fourth king. 

After that, we headed downwards to Lobesa; a rice village where I visited the famous Temple of Fertility. Many go to this temple to wish for babies for themselves. There's a whole history behind it but I shall leave that for your own discovery!  

The day was hot but breezy and when I got to the hill top where the temple was, I sat under a pretty Bodhi tree and kept still. I still remember the rustling leaves. Sighhh. Miss it.

It was also where I saw "Phallus art". So this village pays homage to the "Devine Madman" who was believed to have protected the village as well improve the fertility of women in the area with his "devine device" (LOL). As a result his "phallus" has become somewhat of a devine symbol for many. Phallus art can be seen all over Bhutan actually. You must play the eye spy game!

After lunch we headed out to check a Punakha Dzong, an old fortress type  building used in the 17th Century as a religious and administrative seat for the region. Its now used by monks who travel from one Dzong to another.

  I also walked one of Bhutan's longest iron briges - Pho Chhu Suspension Bridge. Beautiful!

Finally after a full fledged day of walking, my guide took me to a "local" mother-daughter cafe for some ginger tea and fried chilli for tea. Loved it! Giant green chillies deep fried in batter. It is actually very delicious but be careful not to eat a bunch at a time for obvious tummy reasons! ;) 

After tea, we set out to the hotel to retire for the day. It was a pretty cottage like set-up and my view was of rolling hills and rice fields. Found some great flowers around the area too!

I sat and watched artist friend Rinchin Wangdi (who came along for the day trip) attempt to paint the landscape. I didn't do anything as landscapes are just not my thing, plus it was windy as hell! What a privilege to see another artist at work. So blessed to have met such a generous spirit like him!

I enjoyed Paro, a pretty valley indeed. I would imagine it looking quite lovely in spring time too.

Here's a happy Buddha for you taken in Lobessa! Happy thoughts always everyone.

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Daphne plant hand made papers, only in Bhutan

Enjoyed my quick trip to the paper factory. I can still feel the smooth warm freshly pressed paper! 

1. Daphne leaves are taken and soaked for overnight.

2. It then is boiled for about 8 hours

3. It goes through the sift

4. Ladies separate the wilted leaves and extracts the rough bits

5. It goes through the pulp machine

6. Then its sieved through with hibiscus starch to form flat sheets

7. Pressed to gel together

8. Dried on hot metal walls

9. Packed and sent off to be sold! 

These sheets of paper can last hundreds of years and is used for religious manuscripts. The same technique is also used to make varying degrees of paper from tissue paper thin to thick cards that can be made in lampshades etc.

They make pretty great gifts for your art friends ;) 

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I found some purple leaves at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Thimphu, Bhutan.

Purple feelings #pattern #artforlife

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Art walk in Bhutnan

I had the pleasure of sussing out the art scene in Bhutan (Thimphu & Paro). 

It all started with an introduction to artist, Rinchen Wangdi who specializes in traditional Bhutanese art. He was ever so kind to show me around his private studio where I got to see some of his works in progress. I was particularly interested in his special paint formula of mixing clay and acrylics to achieve a chalk-like quality to the paint. He uses this mix in his Thangka paintings. He is also  in the middle of exploring "contemporary art" and we had a few good discussions about that too. 

Above: I then headed out to "Water Dragon Gallery" another contemporary art spot. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Water-Dragon-Gallery/361158300615032 

Above: This young man was looking after the space but as always the case....he is a budding artist too :) 

Above: He showed me some of his works in progress.

Like I said, I visited a lot of art spots in Bhutan. All at infancy state. Do ask your guide to take you to galleries if you the Dzongs & Stupas become a little mundane.

My art walk in Bhutan was very interesting. Art is either a religion or a hobby (for now). I foresee with more people coming into Bhutan, art and culture exchange will add more dimension to the scene. So go! Pitch for some art festivals to be made there too! Its pretty great place for that!

Love,

Nini

Do check my instagram posts (NINIMARINI_) to see what I did in #bhutan on a daily basis. You'd probably need to school down to find the posts.....but you won't be able to miss it! I did a lot of blogging! #proximatravel

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Thimphu, Bhutan : Art religion

I had asked to visit as many art places as  I could while in Bhutan (out of curiousity). The first place they took me to was the Institute of Zorig Chusum aka the Painting School/School of 13 Arts. I wanted to check out the various traditional arts & crafts (Thangka painting, woodcarving, ceramics, weaving) practised in Bhutan. I was hoping to actually try my hand at it but unfortunately the students were going through their exams so I only got to visit their showroom and grounds.

Student works from varying years are displayed in the showroom.

'Thousand hands' carving is a classic subject that students practice to make perfect.

Above: Trained in traditional painting, my "guest guide"/artist Rinchin Wangdi spent the day with me talking about art and the importance of preserving and expanding Bhutanese art at the same time. Behind him are  grills which show 2 symbolic designs (The Dharma wheel & The Endless Knot) I noticed a lot of symbols used in the Bhutanese art & architecture. Everything has a meaning and intention. Symbolic art....skewed toward Buddhist thoughts and philosophies. Nothing wrong in deciphering that.

The school faces a beautiful mountain....so peaceful to do art. What I also found out was that these artists studying in the Institute go through certain praying rituals as part of the discipline. One of it includes gathering in the assembly area in the morning to pray before starting the day/painting.

What I did discuss at length was "contemporary" art vs. traditional Bhutanese art. There are some who believe in maintaining traditional arts. There are those wanting to explore yet feel constrained out of respect and perhaps even fear of losing their identity in the process. Its interesting to note these contemplations from various artists in Bhutan. Ringchin for one feels very protective of his Bhutanese art roots. 

Above: After art, we had some coffee. Karma's Coffee has good coffee, free wifi, light food and a cosy vibe. I imagine I'd go there a lot if I was living in Thimphu :)

Anyway, pondering on the idea of art in Bhutan. Art to them is a way to practice religion. I totally get it however because when one makes art, one has the ability to zone out and concentrate on one thing. Its a good way to to meditate & "be still" and I can imagine, if you go in with the intention to be spiritual, you are more than likely to do so. It really is about context; art and religion....

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Officially getting to know Bhutan (We start in Thimphu)

I had 6 days to spend in Bhutan. What a long/short holiday. Long as that's  probably the longest time I've had for a solo holiday and short as its perhaps too short for a place like Bhutan!

Anyway, I was going to make the most of it so I agreed to a pretty packed itinerary. I did some real-time instagramming in fact. Go there if you want to see more pictures too and the typo infested captions! My username is NINIMARINI_

Thimphu is the capital city of Bhutan. (google more if want to know the facts!). What I will share with you is how I feel about the places I visited. In fact i did no reading coming into this trip as I wanted to just experience. My guide was pretty knowledgeable anyway so it was fun to learn through him. It was liike having your own talking google!

I started my visiting pretty much the minute I landed in Paro (read previous entry here). My first landmark visit was the National Memorial Chorten (Seat of Faith).

It was uber hot that day but the sky was blue and the white was beautiful against it. There is a walking path that circles the chorten. People go and walk around it and say prayers as they do.

Lots of people were there sitting around the Chorten or praying outside the doors. I felt rude taking their pictures as they prayed so I simply walked with my guide who was saying his prayer. I managed to snap this while I was walking around the Chorten. Next up we travelled about 30minutes from the city center to Buddha Point.

All I can say is HUGE! 169feet of Bronze. This shot does not show its mammoth size! Buddha Point looks over Thimphu Valley. Go there during the day and event at night to see the lay of the land!

Above: The direct view ahead from the giant Buddha.

Above: Haaaaa, that's the Buddha from another hill. Look at that scale!

Above: Another angle of the Buddha. Scale is crazy.

Driving through the valley and taking note of the square architecture...."Bhutanese architecture".....

Ended the day with a little chai, samosa and coffee cake. You gotta know someone to know where to go to small coffee houses for the locals. Evidently I was fast friends with my guide :) 

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Fine line between Christmas and Summer in #bhutan

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My favorite flower in #bhutan Tiny fuscia-purple flowers that grow in wildly everywhere. I know my niece Eva would love. Spring would be pretty. #pattern #artforlife

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Making pattern on instagram with some pictures I took in Bhutan. 

Interesting what came out of using #bhutan fluer. @proxima_travel #Baroque #pattern #artforlife

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Bhutan Day 1 - Paro Valley to Thimphu

As I landed pretty early into Bhutan, my guide Sonam immediately got to work showing me a few things along the way to Thimphu (about an hour's drive from Paro).

Above: Paro red rice fields.

Above: The first picture which would spark a series of door pictures throughout my stay in Bhutan.

Above: Standing on the iron chain bridge which was pretty freaky for me as I have a thing about heights. But hey, you need to capture your first bridge no? :) 

Above: Walking back to the car through a wooden bridge this time.

Above: Felt like I was in a movie as we drove through Paro Valley towards Thimphu. Blue skies and rolling mountains.....Welcome to Bhutan Nini. Sigh. xx

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Arrived in Bhutan - Paro to Thimphu

My flight to Bhutan (via Singapore) at 6am in the morning was fairly smooth. It was my first time flying Drukair and I'm pleased to say - NOT BAD! Drukair is the only airline (for now) flying into Bhutan. You can take it from India, Kalkotha, Singapore & Bangkok. The only thing I would advise you to do in preparation is to make sure you dress warm as it get pretty cold up in the air at that hour! I slept most of the way but woke up just in time to roughly make out Everest! Sooooo, make sure you book your seats early (tell the dudes at the counter to put you on the left hand side of the aircraft (you're facing the cockpit) so you can catch it too. You want to get the maximum experience as you descend into the "last Shangri La" don't cha?

Above: This isn't Everest (my camera couldn't capture it from that distance) but I wanted to show what you would see as you fly into Paro, Bhutan. Mountains with little bits of houses on them! I couldn't get over the teeny houses peppered close to the tops of the mountains. Like HOW did they build it so high up?!

Above: Upon landing you will be asked to walk towards the terminal. Almost everyone stops to take photos of the hills, an impressive backdrop for the airport. It was pretty hot when we arrived at 9am. The temperature in Bhutan during summer (starts June to August) goes up to about 25c. Its also pretty dry so make sure you pack your lip balm. moisturiser and sunblock! My face mist was my best friend during the trip.

Above: Paro International Terminal. Prettily trimmed.

Some airport notes:

1) Fill in your landing paper (you would be handed them in the plane otherwise look out for some dispensers to the side as you enter the building. If there are none, you can fill them out at the immigration counter although you would feel rushed and they won't be so amused by you. I did this. Hahaha. Have your visa document ready to show too. 

2) There is only one conveyor belt so chill. 

3) Make sure you read what needs to be declared and declare it. D-uh. FYI Cigarettes are among the items you need to declare :)